Wisconsin is in the middle of a national controversy about the health risks of contact sports, with research into concussions being conducted in the state, and a string of players who have left football after suffering brain injuries.

To understand why moving a couple of DMV locations in Madison would cause outcry, it helps to understand some of the finer points of getting around in Wisconsin's capital and second-most populous city.

While much of the nation's eyes were turned toward the South, struggle for equal opportunities and accompanying social unrest also reached a boiling point in northern states, particularly in cities like Chicago, Detroit and Milwaukee.